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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · cap · squash · deal · pitcher · court · season · lash

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. deal — to handle
  6. court — of a king
  7. cap — of ice
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — of law
  11. tear — from crying
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cap — a hat
  14. tear — from crying
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cap — a lid
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. pitcher — in baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com